Faraday to James Stodart   8 October 1821

Royal Institution | Monday Oct 8th 1821

My dear Sir

I hear every day more and more of those sounds which though only whispers to me are I suspect spoken aloud amongst scientific men and which as they in part affect my honor and honesty I am anxious to do away with or at least to prove erroneous in those parts which are dishonorable to me[.] You know perfectly well what distress the very unexpected reception of my paper on Magnetism¹ in public has caused me and you will not therefore be surprised at my anxiety to get out of it though I give trouble to you and other of my friends in doing so[.]

If I understand aright I am charged 1 with not acknowledging the information I received in assisting Sir H. Davy in his experiments on this subject 2 with concealing the theory and views of Dr Wollaston 3 with taking the subject whilst Dr. Wollaston was at work on it and 4 with dishonorably taking Dr. Wollastons thoughts and pursuing them without acknowledgement to the results I have brought out[.]

There is something degrading about the whole of these charges and were the last of them true I feel that I could not remain on the terms I now stand at with you or any scientific person[.] Nor can I indeed bear to remain even suspected of such a thing[.] My love for scientific reputation is not yet so high as to induce me to obtain it at the expence of honor and my anxiety to clear away this stigma is such that I do not hesitate to trouble you even beyond what you may be willing to do for me[.] I want you my Dear Sir to procure me an interview with Dr Wollaston on his return to town and I wish for this not only to apologise to him if I have unintentionally done him wrong but to justify myself from the suspicions that are wrongly raised against me. I feel that Dr. Wollaston is so very far above me that even if he does feel himself wronged he may not permit himself to think it is of any importance and may therefore think it unnecessary to allow any thing to pass on the subject but in that case I appeal to Dr. Wollaston on my own account[.] His character and talents have raised him to be a patron and protector of science[.] All men look to his opinion and judgement with respect[.] If therefore an impression has gone abroad that I have done him an injustice surely he will listen to my vindication if not for his own or even my sake yet for the sake of that situation in which he stands in the scientific world[.] I am but a young man & without name and it probably does not matter much to science what becomes of me but if by any circumstances I am subjected to unjust suspicions it becomes no one more than him who may be said to preside over the equity of science to assist in liberating me from them[.]

With regard to the first charge I have spoken to Sir H. Davy and I hope and believe he is satisfied[.] I wished to apply to him but knew not where he was till the paper was printed and immediately I did know I sent him a rough copy of it². How much I regret the haste which made me print the paper in the last No of the Journal is known to Sir H. Davy & to you[.]

With regard to the second charge I have to say that I should have been proud to have put into my paper in a more distinct manner what I knew of Dr. Wollastons theory & experiments but that I was afraid to attach his name to any thing which Dr. Wollaston had not published or authorised[.] At the same time I must state that all I knew was what is published in the Journal of Science x p 363³ and that Dr. Wollaston expected to make a wire revolve on its own axis; but I did not see the apparatus of Dr. Wollaston or the experiment he made at the Royal Institution or any made elsewhere⁴[.]

As to the third charge I had not the slightest notion that Dr. Wollaston was at work or intended to work on the subject[.] It is now near 7 months I believe that he was at the Royal Institution making an experiment and I did not know that he intended to pursue it since[.] If I had thought so I should never have attempted any thing on the subject.

The fourth charge is not true. I had assisted Sir H Davy in nearly all of his experiments and thus had my mind prepared for the subject but the immediate cause of my making the experiments detailed in my paper was the writing of the Historical Sketch of Electro magnetism that has appeared in the last two Numbers of the Annals of Philosophy⁵[.] It was in verifying the positions that I continually had to make mention of in that Sketch that I was led as described in the commencement of my paper to ascertain the revolution of the pole round the wire and then & then only Dr. Wollastons theory came to my mind[.] I should have been proud & happy here to have mentioned Dr. Wollastons experiment of the rotation of the wire on its own axis (the only experiment I had heard of) but it did not succeed with me: or Dr. Wollastons theory as stated in our Journal. But Dr. Wollaston had not published or avowed either and I judged (perhaps wrongly) that I had no right in that case to mention it[.]

All I ask is to be liberated from the dishonor unjustly attached to me in these charges[.] I am anxious to apologise to Dr. Wollaston in any way that I can for not having mentioned his theory & experiments if I may be permitted. I need not again urge reasons why Dr. Wollaston should hear me or receive into his consideration those circumstances which witness for me in this affair that I have erred innocently but I hope every thing through your kindness. Anxiously waiting to hear from you[.]

I am Dear Sir | Your Very Obliged and faithful | M. Faraday

J. Stodart Esq